By: AswathyP
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appreciated Bangladesh and India for their efforts to keep people safe from Cyclone Amphan that had devastating effects in parts of both countries.
He commended the governments, first responders, and communities for their pre-emptive work to make people safe ahead of the storm and meet their immediate needs afterwards.
“The United Nations stands ready to support these efforts,” said spokesman for the secretary-general Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric said the secretary-general is saddened by the loss of lives and destruction as a result of Cyclone Amphan in Bangladesh and India.
He extended his deep condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and wished those injured and affected by the disaster a speedy recovery.
The UN secretary-general expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and India as they face the impact of a devastating cyclone while also combating the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bangladesh government evacuated over two million people to more than 12,000 cyclone shelters that were supplied with, among other things, masks and sanitizers, to combat the spread of Covid-19.
The office of the UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh highlighted that preliminary reports indicate that damage is minimal in Cox’s Bazar – home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar – with some 300 shelters damaged, approximately 60 of which were fully destroyed.
Flooding and small landsides have been reported in several refugee camps, as well as blocked drains and damaged stairs, latrines, and bridges. But no casualties or deaths were reported.
Humanitarian partners are on standby to ensure access to information, temporary shelter, food, safe drinking water, and other vital services for affected refugees according to need.
UN humanitarians and partners worked hard to assist the peoples of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of the devastating cyclone, which made landfall on Wednesday, wreaking havoc in coastal regions.
“It is believed that around 10 million people in Bangladesh are impacted by the cyclone, with half a million families potentially having lost their homes”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during a regular virtual briefing from New York after the landfall.
The cyclone, which pounded coastal areas with brutal winds and rain, left at least 84 people dead across Bangladesh and India.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the storm has damaged houses and crops in Bangladesh,” he continued. “Power has been cut off to cities and towns, many of which are working to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.”
